Everyone Has A Secret
by scarlet700
Summary: Sakura Haruno is the most efficient personal assistant known to man, but when a mysterious heartthrob turns her world into a live board-game, she realizes that everybody has a secret, what's yours?


**_Challenge Accepted_**

It was a typical Monday morning in New York City. The sun was shining, the traffic was awful, and the office was in a completely chaotic state. Managers and workers were scattered in the offices and hallways, running around to hand in their deadlines that had been due last week. This panic state of things was normal for the first fifteen floors of the building, every employee knowing that there were only ten minutes left before they would all be fired without hesitation.

Their boss was a very patient, well organized man whom everyone adored and tried to please, but the problem was his pink-haired assistant: Sakura Haruno. Sakura was well aware of the nasty rumors that were spread about her, but she didn't give a flying rat's ass, finding their fleeting glances to be most amusing. Her job title stated: personal assistant, but everybody knew that she had much more power and influence in the company than that. Fugaku Uchiha was the president, but Sakura was the warden.

She was the one who made sure everyone stayed in line and did their job properly, and who could have anyone in the corporation fired with just one click of her fingers. Fugaku trusted her judgment on any situation and, therefore, she was the one who wore the pass into any room or meeting and she was the one everyone was trying to avoid. Unlike their boss, Sakura had a short-temper and was quick to resort to violence; she took control and she was damn good at what she did.

Tapping her foot impatiently, she waited for the security guard to open the door, knowing that she would only be allowed to enter at exactly 7:55am, just enough time to collect all the due documents and pick up a cup of steaming coffee for her boss. Straightening out her baby-blue blouse and pitch black jacket, she plastered a fake smile on her face and walked through the open glass doors, smirking inwardly at the mental picture of all the employees running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

Collecting a thin brown folder from the receptionist, she thanked the lady and started her journey toward the elevator, smiling at all the workers fidgeting nervously at their desks as she walking by, the tapping of her black stilettos the only sound breaking the silence; she revelled in the feeling of power.

The trip up to the sixteenth floor was a quiet one as usual, allowing her to mentally prepare herself for the tiring day ahead. She would be needed on every single floor today and would have to sit through two long meetings later on before she would be able to return to her cosy apartment; not that she minded, frowning at the lonely thoughts that entered her mind. Sure she loved her job, but it was so time consuming that her love life was being terribly neglected.

Dispelling any such thoughts from her mind with a heavy sigh, she exited the elevator, relieved that she was now on a normal floor. The sixteenth floor was a level that only the best were allowed to work on; she having personally picked out every employee on this floor. It was significantly more spacious than the rest of the building, having more of a laid back theme for the calmer environment. The people who worked here were almost as efficient as she herself and had no need to lose their cool when she entered the room, however, the fear of losing their jobs was still evident in their eyes.

Walking up to a beautiful lady with stunning, long blonde hair, she quickly greeted her best friend, "Hey Ino, how was your weekend?"

"It was amazing, Sakura. Everything was so romantic." She gushed, clasping her hand underneath her chin as stars entered her eyes, causing Sakura to slowly shake her head. Ino Yamanaka was the best lawyer any business could get their hands on and Sakura had had the luck of rooming with her in college and so one little phone call for a favour had changed both their lives in ways they had never imagined.

"I'm glad to hear that." The pinkette replied tenderly, a genuine smile lighting up her features.

"You really need to get into a – Sakura watch out!"Ino screamed, stopping mid-sentence in her rant about her friend's love life.

"Huh?" Sakura questioned not a second before she was completely knocked off of her feet by a running maniac. Stifling her cry of pain, Sakura backed away from the lunatic, holding her injured head. Swatting away the soft hand that was offered, she scrambled to her feet raging, "Are you crazy, you lunatic? You could have killed me!"

"It was a fall to the floor not off the top of the building." The mystery man snorted, rolling his endless onyx eyes as he started walking away.

"You jerk, be glad that I have a meeting right now or your ass would be mine." Sakura shouted furiously as the gorgeous man continued his journey toward the elevator, not giving her a second glance, inwardly smirking at the new found source of entertainment.

"…see you later, Sakura." Ino hesitantly called after her furious friend, wondering who she was going to take her anger out on today, guessing that they would wish they had never been born. Silence passed between the two young women, until Sakura reached the head office, closing the door harder than was necessary, calling over her shoulder, "Bye!"

Facing the cherry-wood door, Sakura fumed silently, trying to gather her bearings before she threw her toys out her cot, but the image of that arrogant smirk proved to be difficult to erase from her mind; the worst part being that she found herself immediately attracted to the man. It had been such a long time since anyone had dared to question her authority in such a way and the thrill was still racing through her veins.

Taking a deep, calming breath, she placed a sincere smile on her features and turned to face her boss, surprised to see his son standing close to his right. Fugaku Uchiha, like all members of the Uchiha family, had handsome dark features, causing him to seem slightly intimidating at first as he tended to never show an ounce of emotion. Itachi Uchiha, much like his father, appeared to be intimidating at first glance, but, unlike his father, this was due to his strikingly good looks and praise worthy reputation.

It was well known that Itachi was the pride and joy of the Uchiha family, having graduated from high school at the age of sixteen and having completed his time in university a year before expected before moving on to help people in the poorer countries, where he met and married his wife Hinata Hyuga, the famous singer and designer; all at the age of twenty-three. He had returned to America and opened an internationally renowned charity organization and helped his wife open a studio in New York.

Greeting both Uchiha-s with a dazzling smile, Sakura walked over to her boss' desk, placing down his coffee and handing him a few documents while saying, "Mr. Uchiha, here are the records of all the cargo that had been shipped to Japan last week and these are a few documents that need your sign of approval."

"Thank you, Sakura, and before you go any further, I would like you to accompany Itachi. He has some important business to discuss with you." Fugaku said kindly, shuffling through the documents he had just been handed. Finally becoming aware of the familiar tension hanging in the air, she nodded in agreement and shifted her gaze to Itachi, questioning, "How was your third anniversary, Itachi?"

"Very nice, I'm sure Hinata will be calling you soon to give you the details, but we have more important things to discuss. Please, follow me." The young Uchiha stated with a small smile, gently pushing his frame off the wall, making his way toward the door. Allowing the pinkette to exit first, Itachi closed the door with a soft click, falling instep beside the young lady as they silently walked to the elevator.

Swallowing the sudden lump forming in her throat, Sakura entered the elevator first, trying to ward off any unwanted thoughts about being fired from her mind. The last time Itachi had needed to speak with her alone was when the company was about to close down, leaving little to imagination as to what this talk could be about. Shaking her head, she berated herself for her silly actions and regained her composure, questioning, "What are these urgent matters you wish to speak of?"

"Sakura, you have worked for my family for at least three years, correct?" Itachi inquired, continuing at the nod of her head, "Well, in that time span you have gained the trust of both my parents and myself, bringing us to the conclusion that you are the only one suited for this task."

"Please Itachi, I have a lot of work to do, so if you could just get to the point." Sakura stated seriously, folding her arms across her chest, irritation developing in the corners of her mind at Itachi's unusual procrastination. His words had dispelled any thoughts of losing her occupation and so she no longer wanted to waste her precious time on idle chit-chat.

Taking a deep breath, the raven glanced at the pinkette, placing his hands in his pockets, searching for the most appropriate way in which he should phrase this unsettling predicament. Figuring that shock would follow no matter how he chose to state the situation, Itachi returned his gaze to the elevator doors and said, "You know of my little brother."

"Yes, Sasuke, I believe his name was. I had seen pictures of him when I had attended a meeting at your father's house. A shame that such a talented young man had to die at such a young age." Sakura replied quietly, knowing that the subject of his younger brother was a touchy one, because of the love Itachi held for the boy.

"Well, it seems that Sasuke did not die in the fire as we thought, he had been with my father's elder brother, Madara Uchiha, and they had been taking joy-rides around the world, doing who knows what and now he has returned." Itachi explained in a strained voice, referring to Sasuke, his eyes narrowing at the mention of his uncle's name. Letting out an inaudible sigh as the doors opened, he motioned for the pinkette to exit first, smirking when she queried, "Not to sound rude, but what does any of this have to do with me?"

"The media has taken a great interest in why Sasuke had disappeared off of the grid in the first place and why he chose to come back now. My father thought that it would be best for you to handle the situation, since you handled the press so well the last time." Itachi elaborated further, shocking Sakura to the core. Of course she knew that Fugaku trusted her, but to the degree of dealing with personal affairs that had the potential to wreck his entire company was simply mind-blowing. There were so many things that could go wrong and she wasn't sure whether she could bear such a great responsibility and not crack under the pressure, but knowing that she was being counted on, she nodded in acceptance and inquired, "What do I have to do?"

"You will be my brother's personal assistant." Itachi answered as they made their way to the board meeting room. "You will handle all the interviews, broadcasts, and so forth, until this whole mess blows over."

"Alright, I understand. What is the situation? What should I tell the press?" Sakura queried as they arrived at the entrance door to the board room. Taking a deep breath, Itachi turned the door knob and answered, "Sasuke is here to explain the situation to you."

Nodding at his words Sakura waited patiently as Itachi entered the room first and followed right on his heels. Smiling kindly at the man with wild blond spiky hair and sapphire blue eyes, she wondered where Sasuke was, noting that the handsome blonde had none of the usual Uchiha features. Opening her mouth to question where the youngest Uchiha was, she immediately snapped it shut when the raven moved out of the way to reveal the man who had knocked her off of her feet, sitting at the head of the right side of the large rectangular table.

Taking a seat next to Itachi, who was seated to the left of Sasuke, she ignored the arrogant smirk he threw her way and wait somewhat impatiently for someone to start the conversation. Luckily, she didn't have to wait long as Itachi introduced her, "Sasuke, Naruto this is Sakura Haruno. She will be the one helping Sasuke with situation."

"It's a pleasure to meet the both of you." Sakura greeted politely, smiling warmly at Naruto before shooting Sasuke a less sincere smile, ignoring the butterflies his presence brought on.

"The pleasure is all mine!" Naruto replied loudly, his cheerful personality immediately dissolving the unwanted tension in the room.

"Running you over was more fun than this." Sasuke spat bitterly, placing his hands on the desk, before continuing, "Now that we have the greetings out of the way, why don't we get this thing over and done with so that I can get out of here?"

"Okay, then… Sasuke, why don't you explain everything so that Sakura is up to date?" Itachi suggested, ignoring the rude manner in which he had addressed the pinkette.

"Naruto, Itachi please leave. I wish to speak to Sakura alone." Sasuke ordered, basically forcing the other two men out of the room. Waiting for his best friend and brother to leave the room, Sasuke stared at Sakura hoping that she would be able to understand his situation and not freak out like his father had done when he had only uttered the first sentence. Once the door was shut, he spoke up, "Are you ready for this?"

For the first time since sixth grade, Sakura Haruno felt completely and utterly lost, caught in a wave of emotions she had never experienced before. She was drawn to the beautiful arrogant man sitting across from her, feeling an overwhelming need to get closer to him, however, the fire below the calm surface of his eyes warned her that in doing so she would get burnt. She had the desire to take her time and get to know him inside out, but the larger part of her feelings, her pride, refused to allow her to feel this sort of attachment and, instead, filled her being with annoyance at the audacity this young man had to waste her precious time. Surely, he was aware of the fact that she had other duties to perform, but, not surprisingly, one look at the stoic man told her that he couldn't care less about any person who was not the 'great' Sasuke Uchiha.

Scoffing mentally, she placed her clasped hands on the rather large table, mimicking the raven's posture as she struggled to figure out what thoughts were flying around within the brinks of his mind, but it was no use; he was unreadable. Settling for mild irritation the pinkette stood up, fierce emerald eyes glaring at the baby Uchiha as she folded her arms across her chest. Letting out a loud sigh of annoyance, she tersely questioned, "Are you actually going to open your mouth or can I go attend to my other responsibilities."

"What happened is none of you business." Sasuke rudely stated, standing up with all the grace of a black panther, both shocking and further angering the short-tempered young lady; how was she supposed to help and deal with the situation if she didn't even have a speck of knowledge as to what happened? Glaring at one another, Sakura was sure that the room temperature had dropped from the silent feud of willpower, secretly wishing that the deafening silence would come to an end. As if reading her mind, Sasuke sauntered to the door with his hands buried in his pockets while saying, "All you need to know is that leaving wasn't my decision and that I'm back now."

"Excuse me? Who do you think you are?" Sakura snapped, allowing her rage to overthrow her calm composure, disbelief written all over her features. Wondering how her boss would even consider to ask her to work with a man whom had no respect for others when he knew about her lack of patience, she opened her mouth to continue expressing her outrage when it became apparent that she would not be receiving an answer, but stopped when the raven continued, "Don't bother coming in tomorrow."

"What did you just say? I don't think-"

"Hn. You can go to your office now." He ordered, cutting off the rest of her sentence, opening the door to leave the awful room, already two steps ahead of the pinkette. A smirk curving his full lips, Sasuke made his way toward the elevator, knowing that the fun was only just beginning.

Gaping at the Uchiha's back, Sakura resisted the urge to scream in frustration, not knowing whether it was due to her anger or her newly renewed sexual desires. She was not able to comprehend how one man was able to make her feel so free and so caged all at once, but knowing that her personal turmoil would have to wait, she closed the door with a soft click and quickly made her way to the staircase; Fugaku would have to be informed about his youngest son's reluctance to cooperate.

Ordinarily, she would be able to handle any given situation that was thrown her way, but this was entirely different. Sasuke was the son of her boss and he, obviously, thought that it somehow gave him the right to dismiss her as if she were an inferior being and she definitely would not stand for such displays of superciliousness.

Reaching the top floor, she silently cursed herself for her lack of patience in such a tiring ordeal – heaven knew she had no patience to begin with – and turned in the direction toward her office, hoping that she would be able to calm down before she spoke to the president of the company. Smiling at her co-workers, she was shocked and slightly baffled as to why they suddenly paid her no mind, but quickly pushed the thought aside, guessing that she was simply overreacting.

Opening the door to her office, Sakura stopped mid-step, her eyes locking with an infuriating sight. Inwardly fuming, she glared at the blonde man known as Naruto, who was tossing all her personal items into a brown box, whistling merrily as if he wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary. Finally feeling the last strands of her control dissolve into nothingness, she yelled, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Oh, hi there, my name is Naruto Uzumaki. Sorry that I couldn't introduce myself earlier." Naruto said kindly, bright blue eyes shining with open friendliness as he held out his hand toward Sakura, waiting for her hand to join his in greeting, but awkwardly dropped the limb to his side when he only received a cold glare in return and continued, "Anyway… I'm cleaning out my office."

"This must be some mistake, because this is my office." Sakura responded calmly, faking a kind smile at the annoying young man.

"Nope, this is my office. My name is right there on the door." Naruto replied, pointing at the golden name tag on the door, which clearly stated 'Naruto Uzumaki', causing Sakura to gasp. What was going on? A numb feeling consumed her body as the blonde placed the box in her hands and walked her out the door, continuing, "Now, I'm afraid that if you wish to speak to me again, you'll have to make an appointment with my secretary."

Why was this happening to her? She merely could not understand why fate would turn against her in such a way; she hadn't done anything wrong and, yet, she was receiving punishment, but she knew that she had to keep pressing on – there was a reason for everything that was happening. Keeping this fixed state of mind, the pinkette fought through the numbness, lifting her head to follow Naruto's gaze, her eyes landing on a brunette young lady with twin buns settled on the top of her head.

That was the last straw; Tenten was her secretary! Numbness giving way to anger Sakura glared at the young lady with all the wrath and fury of hell itself, smirking at the sense of gratification she felt washing over her as the poor brunette cowered from her livid gaze, ducking out of the line of fire.

Pleased that she still caused fear to arise in her co-workers, the pinkette turned to the left, marching toward Fugaku's office, intent on telling the old man exactly what she thought about this entire situation and then perhaps quit her job and move to the Caribbean where she would never be bothered by idiots and jerks again.

The sound of clicking heels halted as she was stopped by Ino before she could even reach the door. Her facial expression softening at the sight of her best friend, she waited for the blonde to explain what was going on, but scowled when the lawyer all but yanked her to the side, firmly stating, "I apologize miss, but Mr Uchiha is very busy at the moment, but if you still wish to speak to him, I'm sure Mrs. Tenten Hyuga would be happy to make you an appointment."

"Come on, Ino, you know that I'm allowed in and out of that office at any given moment." Sakura replied, a slight awkward giggle escaping her lips, letting on to the confusion and the desperation she truly felt.

"Please leave the building or I will have security escort you out." Ino warned, completely ignoring what her best friend had said.

"You'll what? Ino, it's me Sakura, remember?" Sakura attempted at a joke, clicking her fingers in front of the blonde's face. Slapping the offending hand away, Ino glared at the pinkette and angrily replied, "You must have me mistaken for someone else, I've never seen you before in my life."

"Why you little-"

"Please refrain from using such foul language in this building." Itachi said, the firm command underlining his soft tone as he closed his father's office door. Slowly strolling toward the infuriated pinkette, Itachi gently placed her arm within his and softly stated, "I will show you the way out."

"But I-"

"Please don't make this anymore harder than is necessary." Itachi requested, ignoring her mumbled protests as he guided her to the elevator. Pushing the ground level button the Uchiha folded his arms across his chest, waiting for the onslaught he was sure was still to come. Growling under her breath, Sakura finally decided that it was time to get some answers and flailed her arms in the air, yelling, "What the hell is going on?"

Like karma biting her in the ass, she was met with a silence that pierced her very soul and suddenly the urge to cry her heart out to the elder Uchiha son was very difficult to resist, nevertheless she refused to be seen in such a weak state, quickly gathering her bearings in order to analyze the situation, reminding herself to stay emotionally detached from the situation.

She was sure of two things: one, Sasuke Uchiha was miraculously alive and, two, all her friends seem to have gotten a complete memory swipe, but the question was 'why?'. A soft hum reaching her ears, Sakura glanced at Itachi, who, instead of mimicking the horrible elevator music, was humming the tune to 'California Girls' by Katy Perry.

Deciding that the trauma from this day, had finally caused the young man to lose his sanity, she felt relieved when a bell chimed and the elevator doors opened, revealing the ground floor of the building. Allowing herself to be guided to the exit doors, she smirked at all the possible ideas of how people could interpret such a situation, knowing that the media would not always look kindly on men who handle women in such a manner.

The trip to the outside of the building was filled with infuriating silence, making the pinkette wonder if it was natural for all Uchiha-s to be so composed at all times; not once had Itachi even glanced at her throughout their entire 'walk'. What had changed so dramatically that one day she was on top the world as one of the most sought after PA-s and now it seemed that no one was willing to validate her existence; a pain and sorrow that tore her heart apart. If no one cared or even noticed her as a person, did that mean that her meaning in life had vanished along with her job and friends? Her head was spinning with questions, causing her to feel faint, and she did not enjoy it in the least.

Lifting her gaze from the cement sidewalk, she noticed that she and Itachi had been walking for quite some time, reaching farther and farther away from the office. Realization hit her like a bomb, when she became aware of the fact that she had neither her handbag nor cellular phone with her; they were all still at work. This had to be one of the worst days of her life.

Sighing in acceptance of her strange fate, she silently swore that she would force this situation to turn out for the better good and frowned at the unknown café that Itachi had dragged her two, not understanding why he simply didn't take her to their regular meeting place. Standing in line, she was glad that the chitter-chatter of the customers drowned out the never ending silence and opened her mouth to speak, but snapped it shut when she felt two hands drift into her pockets and a softer than velvet voice whisper, "Stay calm and don't let the situation overwhelm you; Sasuke will only get more pleasure out of this if you do. Beat him at his own game."

And suddenly his presence disappeared and a pressure was added to her pockets. Reaching into them, she felt a few coins in both sides and guessed that he was somehow trying to make up for her not having her purse with her. Nodding it herself, she walked out of the little shop and called a cab; she was exhausted both mentally and emotionally, the only desire left being the one to get home and sleep.

* * *

Climbing out the cab smoke filled cab, she paid the driver and miserably shuffled her way toward the staircase, replaying Itachi's words over in her mind. What he said made no sense and she would be damned before she ever lost a game to a silly, spoiled little rich kid. Cursing herself for living on the fourth floor, she wore that someone up there in heaven really hated her. She had been a good person, hadn't she?

Reaching her door, she gave a weak smile and closed her eyes, relishing in the fact that she was at home and that no one could ever take that away from her. Opening her eyes, she glared at a tiny note stuck to the door, wondering who in hell would leave her a note. Ripping it off of the entrance, she read

_'One step closer'_

Growling in annoyance, she ripped the up the paper, her inner three year old throwing a tantrum, while she quietly opened the door and slammed it shut. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face her sweet home and gasped, horror washing over her as she was met with complete emptiness. Panic taking over her body, she ran through the house, checking every room, until she came into her bed room and hopeless fell to her knees. Her entire house had been stripped of her belongings, right down to her toilet paper.

With one last strand of hope tugging at her hurt, Sakura tumbled to her closet, opening it with a silent prayer and frowning at the small box she was presented with. Pulling it out of the cupboard, she smiled brokenly as she found the small wooden box her mother had given her and a white envelope lying at the bottom. Ripping the envelope open, she sighed and felt her rage climb new heights as she read:

_'Chess : a game of strategic planning that requires great mental ability and skill; how good are you? Finding out should be a blast, but you better act fast. Leaving your old life, you are in for a lot of strife, but have no fear for Sasuke is here.'_

* * *

**_Author's note: As you may have noticed, I combined some of the chapters, but none of the content has changed. _**

**_DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto_**

**_Reviews, thoughts, and comments are very welcomed and much appreciated!_**


End file.
